Chapter 126 – Dragonhell Peak
“I’ll kill you if you dare make a sound.” Chen Xi looked at the Wanderingcloud Sword Sect Inner Court disciple that he’d clutched by the throat as he spoke coldly, and he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
Right when he’d walked out from the ring after ring of Sect Guarding Sword Formations with great difficulty, all of a sudden, he’d run into this Wanderingcloud Sword Sect disciple that was on patrol, so he could only helplessly restrain this person.
“Who… Who are you? This is the Wanderingcloud Sword Sect! If you dare kill me then you can’t escape as well!”
This person had a wretched appearance. His face was long and narrow, his body skinny like a monkey, and his name was Liu Zhang. At this moment, as his throat was clutched by Chen Xi, his expression was of terror, rage, and bewilderment.
He was truly unable to wrap his head around how Chen Xi had appeared here. As a Wanderingcloud Sword Sect disciple, he was extremely clear of the might of the Sect Guarding Sword Formation. It was an existence that could annihilate cultivators at the Rebirth Realm, and for the past thousand years, not a single person had passed through this grand formation.
Yet presently, a person had silently walked out from within the grand formation, moreover, the person didn’t trigger the restrictions on the grand formation. How could this not shock him?
Could it be that this fellow is an existence that’s even more formidable than a Rebirth Realm cultivator?
After feeling shocked, a wisp of dense terror arose within Liu Zhang’s heart, and he’d unconsciously taken Chen Xi to be a ‘Senior’ with unfathomable cultivation.
Chen Xi had a flash of inspiration and he said, “I won’t kill you. How about we make a deal?”
“No, even if I die, I, Liu Zhang, will not do something that’s harmful to my Wanderingcloud Sword Sect.” Liu Zhang replied with extreme resolution and was filled with a strong sense of righteousness.
“Don’t worry, it will absolutely not put you in a difficult position.” Chen Xi slightly admired the integrity of this fellow, and his tone became gentle. “Tell me where one person resides, and I’ll give you a low-grade yellow-rank Magic Treasure. How about it?”
Low-grade yellow-rank Magic Treasure? Liu Zhang’s eyes lit up abruptly as he secretly gulped down a mouthful of saliva, and then he didn’t even give it a thought before saying without hesitation. “Alright!”
Chen Xi was stunned instead. Changing his mind so quickly? This fellow didn’t have integrity, he was obviously acting earlier!
“Senior, whose whereabouts do you want to inquire about?” Liu Zhang smiled brilliantly, then patted his chest as he said, “Senior, you’ve found the right person this time. You probably don’t know that, but I, Liu Zhang, have the nickname detective. There isn’t a person I don’t know in the Wanderingcloud Sword Sect!”
“Okay, I want to know where Chen Hao is.” said Chen Xi. Then he took out a low-grade yellow-rank flying sword from within his storage ring and shook it before Liu Zhang’s eyes. “This flying sword is yours after you tell me.”
Liu Zhang almost became dizzy from the shaking as his eyes fiercely stared at the flying sword in Chen Xi’s hand, and he said in excitement, “Of course I know! Chen Hao’s the disciple of Martial Uncle Xuan Song, and his sword technique using his left hand is extremely formidable! How could I not know?”
“Where is he?” Chen Xi confirmed what Liu Zhang said was true because the matter of Chen Hao’s right hand being crippled and Chen Hao using his left to cultivate the sword was something that a person who didn’t know Chen Hao would be utterly unable to speak of.“Dragon…” Liu Zhang’s eyeballs spun around as he said with slight difficulty, “Senior, I’ve told you already, you won’t kill me, right?”
“Lead the way. I’ll let you go once I see Chen Hao. I wouldn’t go so far as to kill you in front of Wanderingcloud Sword Sect, right?” Chen Xi casually tossed the flying sword to Liu Zhang as he spoke slowly.
“That’s true as well.” Liu Zhang nodded.
Immediately, Chen Xi carried Liu Zhang as he transformed into a breeze that flashed towards the distance. With a rascal like Liu Zhang guiding the way, Chen Xi quickly arrived before a mountain.
The mountain was extremely tall, entirely perfectly straight like a knife, yet possessed a summit that was exceedingly vast. When looked at from afar, it was like a large umbrella supported the sky, like a skyscraping mushroom, and its shape was extraordinarily strange.
“This mountain is called Dragonhell, and it’s the place of exile for my Wanderingcloud Sword Sect to punish its disciples. It’s hot like an oven in the day, cold like a pit in the ice at night, while accompanied by the erosion from roiling strong winds, and its environment is extremely adverse.”
“Those disciples that were exiled here have to dig out an entire 500Kgs of Crimson Veined Steel ore at the mountainside, then gather 50Kgs of Nine-Heavens Starsand every day, and they’re like coolies and slaves that suffer unspeakably. Every disciple that was punished and comes out from this place would have been tortured to the point they were unrecognizable, and their appearance was simply extraordinarily miserable.”
“Around one year ago, I don’t know what sect rule Chen Hao violated, and he was exiled here. He has to atone for his crimes for three years before being able to return to the sect to cultivate.” Liu Zhang spoke with fervor and assurance, his excited expression contained deep fear mixed within, and he completely didn’t notice that Chen Xi’s expression had already gradually become extremely gloomy and icy cold.
As expected!
As expected, Chen Hao was implicated by me and has suffered the oppression of the Su Clan, causing him to be exiled to Dragonhell Peak!
Wasn’t one year ago the time I’d just returned from the depths of the Southern Barbaric Mountain Range? At that time, I annihilated the entire Li Clan, and I presume it drew the attention of the Su Clan, so they…
Chen Xi almost didn’t have to think before he knew that with his younger brother’s disposition, he would absolutely not violate the rules of the sect and commit a terrible crime. How could he be unable to guess who caused Chen Hao to be exiled here?
Fortunately, Chen Hao was still alive now. If he were to be a step later, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Chen Xi took a deep breath and forcefully restrained the resentment in his heart, then said with a low voice. “Do you know where he will be now?”
“There are no less than 1,000 people being exiled on this Dragonhell Peak. You ought to be able to find out from asking someone,” said Liu Zhang hurriedly. He acutely perceived that the mood of this ‘Senior’ by his side seemed to be extremely bad. He instantly didn’t dare talk nonsense as he was deeply afraid that disaster would come from careless talk and would cause harm to himself.
“There’s no one watching this place?”
“There are, but only in the day, and there’s no need for watching at night. These people had worked hard all day and had long since had their physical strength wrung dry. Who would still have the strength to flee? Furthermore, this place is in the Wanderingcloud Sword Sect. Even if one flees, one wouldn’t be able to leave the Sect Guarding Sword Formation.”
Chen Xi didn’t say anything further as he brought Liu Zhang along to fly onto the mountainside of Dragonhell peak. At that place was a person clothed in rags, a haggard appearance, and disheveled hair resting there.
Presently, it was already the small hours before dawn, the cold air on Dragonhell Peak was even more extreme, cold to the point these people were curled up on straw mats. Even if they were fast asleep, they still shivered, and their miserable appearances were even worse than the beggars that slept out on the road.
Slap!
Liu Zhang obediently walked forward and slapped awake the middle aged man with a sallow face and depressed eye sockets, then asked. “Do you know where Chen Hao is now?”
“Chen Hao? That person with a severed right arm? He should be at the peak of the mountain at this time.” The middle aged man awoke from his sleep and answered vaguely.
Chen Xi was already unable to bear taking another glance as he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control the rage in his heart, and he immediately carried up Liu Zhang before flashed out towards the peak of the mountain.
…
Under the night sky, the peak of Dragonhell Peak was completely open, it was silent and cold as boundless cold air transformed into a white mist that flowed around everywhere. The gravel, rocks, and plants on the ground had a layer of thick ice crystals condensed upon them, and it was simply like a world of ice.
Whereas at this moment, there was a youth that was practicing his sword in this roiling cold air.
His clothes were ragged and tattered, his hair dirty and disheveled, and his gaunt figure was simply like a bamboo, yet the left hand he held his sword with was exceedingly firm. It was firm like a green pine rooted on a precipice, and every move he made was swift and precise, precise to the point it seemed as if it was measured with a ruler. Because of this, the might of his sword displayed a righteous and magnificent style that was like a great river, a towering mountain, and it possessed an extremely dense imposing manner, causing it to seem as if a continuous mountain and river was concealed within his chest, to seem as if a Righteous Sword Dao was concealed there. The Righteous Sword Dao relied on him to swing out these numerous moves that contained boundless might.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
What was surprising was that there was obviously not a shred of True Essence on his sword, yet so long as the roiling cold air in the heavens and earth arrived 30m around him, it would disperse and retreat, and it wouldn’t dare take a step past this boundary.
Kacha!
A clear sound resounded out, and his figure stopped before causing the sword images that covered the sky to vanish, Only now could it be seen clearly that the thing held in his hand was no sword, and it was clearly a piece of a branch that had broken into two.
Hu~ Hu~
He squatted on the floor as he panted intensely, and on his ghastly pale and gaunt force, only his pair of eyes were bright to the point they were sparkling and were filled with staunchness and persistence.
“I can’t rest, I want to become strong, I want to help share the pressure with my Big Brother, I want to avenge grandfather, I want…” Amidst his muttering, he struggled to stand up once again, and at the instant he stood up, his figure started staggering, and it seemed as if he would be blown away by the wind in the next moment or perhaps fall on the ground and be unable to arise.
But in the end, he still stabilized his body, and his left arm trembled as he carried up the piece of the branch and started to swing out his sword moved once again.
Thump!
In less than 15 minutes, he once again fell onto the floor and panted heavily. His gaunt face had become even more ghastly pale, and his eyes were filled with strands of blood threads.
“I can’t lie down! How can I, Chen Hao, admit defeat? I want to become strong. Brother has given up too much for me, and if I still don’t become strong, he’ll surely be extremely sad…” He muttered to himself, encouraging himself time after time as if he was an idiot or madman that never knew what was yielding…
He entirely didn’t notice that there was a pair of eyes staring blankly at him from nearby, and the gaze within the eyes was drowned with the feelings of being moved, suffering, and resentment… All of these feelings had condensed into tears that rolled down.
That person was precisely Chen Xi. At this moment, Chen Xi was silently crying. After 17 years, it was at this moment, at this time, that he was unable to restrain his tears any longer.
A man doesn’t easily shed tears, only because they haven’t been deeply hurt.
“Little… Hao!”
Exactly, the youth who was gaunt like a wood and had a ghastly pale countenance, the youth that fell down on the peak time after time yet crawled up time after time, was precisely Chen Hao.
Chen Hao was clearly stunned when he heard the voice, then he shook his head and muttered with a bitter smile on his face. “I’m hallucinating again, how could my brother possibly come here.”
“Little Hao!” This time, the voice exploded out by his ears, it was so real, and it caused Chen Hao to feel disbelief. He raised his hand with difficulty, and he saw a figure that was beyond familiar standing by his side.
“Brother, I’m not dreaming, right?” Chen Hao eyes sprang wide open and the corners of his mouth trembled.
Indescribable pain surged out from Chen Xi’s heart as his tears flowed, and he stretched his hand out to embrace his younger brother, tightly embracing Chen Hao like when he embraced the infant Chen Hao when he was young.
“This is real, it’s not a dream. Little Hao, Brother will take you away from this place, okay?” Chen Xi’s voice was low and hoarse like a wounded wolf.
“Mmm…” Chen Hao seemed to be too tired, and he’d already fallen asleep as he replied.
“Sleep well. Brother will make the food you love the most when you wake up tomorrow.” Chen Xi took a deep breath, then carried Chen Hao on his back before walking down the mountain.
“Taking him away like this will only harm him.” It was at this moment that a clear voice abruptly sounded out from afar, and along with this voice, a gap suddenly broke open in the roiling cold mist on the peak of the mountain, and a middle aged man in plain robes floated as he arrived.
The man’s had a handsome appearance with rough features, and a tall figure. He held a goose feather fan in his hand like a teacher in a school of the mortal world, and his entire body emitted a learned and refined aura.
At this moment, Chen Xi couldn’t be bothered to speak any nonsense, and his figure flashed before flying down the peak of the mountain.
However, right when his body had just moved, he felt an extremely vast and powerful aura suddenly gush over from all directions. The terrifying pressure was simply like a towering and enormous mountain pressing down on him, causing him to be unable to move, and he didn’t even have the slightest room to struggle.
So formidable! Only relying on his aura to completely restrain me. What extent has this person’s cultivation attained? Chen Xi was greatly shocked in his heart, and only now did he know that the handsome and refined middle aged man before him was actually an expert with unfathomable strength!
Thump!
Liu Zhang, who’d always been observing from nearby, seemed to have been struck dumb. His knees went weak and knelt on the ground, and then cried out with a trembling voice. “Disciple Liu Zhang greets Grand Ancestor Wen Xuan!”